Print Large Drawing Span Multiple Pages

[emtffkev]

This may be something really basic but I've never tried plotting a large drawing with a standard laserjet printer. I don't have access to a large plotter and am trying to print something to be used as a pattern for scrollsawing. I need this to be 1:1 scaled so i can't fit it to the page and my printer only has 8.5x11 paper. I wanted to have it span a few pages and then I can tape them together to make one large template.

Is this possible?

[Bloodwig80]

Yes it is possible but why. A print house will charge you a nominal amount and will save you a lot of aggravation.

If you still want to do it, set your paperspace at 1:1 in a 24x36 sheet (or w/e sheet size you are using) and then draw 8.5x11(or actual printable area) squares on top of the paper space, then Print using each square as the boundary.

[Zachary Berube]

I am trying to do something very similar, and maybe this is the exact same question but I am very new to AutoCAD would appreciate some guidance. I am trying to print .dwg drawings from AutoCAD that span 3-12 pages across at my custom required ratio. So far the only way I can find to print the entire document is to print the first page and then set the offset along the X-axis to -15 (multiples) and click plot again. I think I should be able to publish the whole .dwg to the plotter and it should go, but I can't seem to get it right. Thanks for the assistance.

[Dana W]

See if your printer options can do "poster" in 8 1/2 x 11 chunks. Mine does. I have to print to another large format, usually pdf, first. Then print it outside of AutoCAD. But it's better just to run the pdf up to Kinko's on a flash drive.

I also have done it by building a bunch of 8 1/2" x 11" layouts, each with a viewport of a section of the much larger drawing. I have them slightly overlapping with alignment marks within the overlapping area. Then just tape them together after plotting.

Draw a grid over the original drawing representing where your viewports will be, along with alignment marks, on their own layer, then create your viewports on the layouts at scale on the grid lines. You may have to scissor off the lines of the drawn grid, or just erase or turn them off after setting up your viewports. You will need the alignment marks to print in each viewport or you can go by the object lines in your drawing to overlap the resulting sheets. If you can, locate the alignment marks in the overlapping areas of your sheets. You can then cover them up. or trim them off after joining the whole thing. Wait, after reading this again, just take the flash drive to Kinko's instead.

[rkent]

Zachary, if you are dealing with a large format plotter then edit the .pc3 file, create a custom size, I have to plot a 36"X96" drawing and this is what I do. (Start plot, pick the name of the plotter in the drop down, use the Properties box next to the name, select Custom Properties in the list, then pick Custom Properties box below, .... This is how it works for my HP plotter, a different plotter will be slightly different.)

[rkent]

emtffkev,
Print to Adobe PDF, then print that with the print tiles feature. I just tried it.

[Zachary Berube]

alright - thank you for the quick responses I will try these and let you know how it goes.